LilSugar

How Do Your Children Get to School?

LilSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:30:55 -0700

What child hasn't heard the story of their parents hiking five miles to school, uphill (in both directions) during a blizzard? Such tall tales may seem even more foreign to kids as fewer moms are allowing their lil ones to walk to school on their own. According to the National Household Travel Survey, child abductions, unsafe traffic conditions, and neighborhood conditions can be blamed for the decline in the number of walkers from 41 percent in 1969 to 13 percent in 2001.

Following the discovery of Jaycee Duggard, the New York Times looked into the dwindling number of school kids who walked to school and found there is a heated debate over the matter. While helicopter parents may escort their wee ones the one or two blocks to class, free-range parents feel the need to cut the cord. Mamas who allow their offspring to walk alone often face the wrath of neighbors and school administrators who scold them for their decisions and require them to sign permission slips that explain their decision to allow solo journeys.

How does your child get to school each day?

Cars-N-Kids Car Seat Monitor: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding?

LilSugar — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:00:02 -0700

Every year we hear horrifying stories of children who die after being left in cars by their parents, about half of the youngsters are left unintentionally by relatives who forgot to remove them from the vehicle.

The Cars-N-Kids Car Seat Monitor ($40) is designed to prevent such tragedies. Using a monitor placed under a car seat, the device turns on when a child is placed in his seat. When the car stops for more than four seconds, a lullaby plays to remind parents about the lil one in the back seat. The device also beeps if a creative kid climbs out of their chair while the car is in motion.

Would you invest in this product?

School Year's Resolutions: Edit What Goes on Internet!

LilSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:15:28 -0700

As the kiddos return to school, proud parents will snap shots of their children heading into class. Some mommy bloggers have launched photo contests encouraging fellow moms to upload pictures of their youngsters under their school signs. Tweens post their class assignments and schedules on Facebook to compare with friends. Young athletes tweet the location of their sports practice and games. And looking to hang out with others, kids twitter their whereabouts and contact information. While technology allows families the benefit of being constantly connected, take precaution. Too much seemingly harmless information on public sites allows strangers access to your personal lives. Here are some good tips to follow on public forums:

Do not post pictures of your children with uniforms or signs that identify where they go to school.
Do not post your child's class or sports schedule.
Educate your tweens so they do not tweet their whereabouts.
Do not publish personal contact information including phone numbers and addresses.
Do not publish the means of transportation your child uses - pictures of car with license plate, bus line, or the route they walk.

Enter to win a $1,000 wardrobe for your child from Tea Collection!

If It's Too Hot, Get the Kids Out of the Kitchen!

LilSugar — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:19:41 -0700

We have a shoebox-size kitchen, so I have rules when my kids help me cook. Once the stove is lit, they need to stay seated at the table. All the tales of dropped pots of boiling water, hair caught in hand mixers, and fingers severed by bread knives have made me cautious.

The other night, my fears were realized when my husband attempted to puree some hot mushroom soup in the blender, but it malfunctioned and bits of the hot liquid splattered on our 2-year-old son. A blood-curdling scream sounded before my husband had a chance to shock our boy's skin with a cold shower. Luckily, our tot was more scared than scarred, and we all breathed a big sigh of relief when his affected limbs appeared completely normal. It's moments like those when your heart jumps into your throat that you realize you can never be too careful. Here are some tips for keeping your lil chefs safe.

If children are helping prep, sit at a table rather than chance a fall by having them stand on a chair or stool.
Do not allow children to crawl on counters or stoves when you aren't cooking. This way they won't feel comfortable doing so when the areas pose hazards.
Keep knives out of reach.
Use the rear burners when possible.
Turn pot and pan handles in.

To read the rest of the suggestions, read more.

Instruct tots to keep their fingers to themselves and not to hover when a parent is operating a hand mixer.
Make sure the floor is spill free before you transport pots of pasta and other boiling items to the sink.
Be mindful of lil ones shuffling behind when you open the oven door to remove piping hot casseroles.
Use age-appropriate utensils for different tasks. If you have a toddler in charge of snipping basil, have him tear the leaves with his hands rather than using a knife. If a preschooler is doing the job, allow her to use child-safe scissors, etc.
After washing the dishes with hot water, run the cold tap so your lil ones don't get burned if they decide to rinse their hands.
Keep the dishwasher locked.

Getty

Sturdy Cribs to Keep Baby Safe

babysugar — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:00:19 -0700

Many parents don't mind putting the bulk of their design budget towards the newborn's crib - the most important item in a nursery. In recent days, some crib makers and their retailers have decided to stop manufacturing and selling the popular drop-side versions leaving many customers wondering if their current crib is a hazard. In an effort to keep customers hazard free and to prevent further recalls, Babies R Us will no longer stock and shelve the drop-side style, but encourage consumers to buy either a fold down design or version with fixed rails. With so many cute options on the market, it's hard to pick a favorite!

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How Would You React If a Child Murderer Moved to Your Town?

LilSugar — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:00:54 -0700

Lots of parents search family watchdog sites to see if there are any predators in their community, but residents of a New Hampshire town were made well aware of the fact that a convicted child killer was settling on their soil. Parents in Chichester were outraged when a pastor in their community opened up his home to Raymond Guay who served 35 years in prison for multiple crimes. The New York Times report said:

Mr. Guay was convicted of killing a 12-year-old boy in Hollis, N.H., in 1973, chasing him into the woods before shooting him in the eye. After escaping from a state prison in 1982, he held two residents of nearby Concord hostage in their home. He was later sent to a federal prison in California, where he got in more trouble for stabbing an inmate in 1990.

Fearing for their safety, members of the community have invested in pricey home alarms and firearms despite an increase of police patrols.

Source

Child Safe Tee: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding?

LilSugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:00:50 -0800

If your small fry tends to slip away while you're in crowded places, would you put a shirt with your cell phone numbers and his allergies on it? Child Safe Tee ($18 - $20) garments do exactly that. The shirts were created for children that wander off or get lost in crowded places like amusement parks and street fairs. For parents wary of posting their personal info for all to see there's a top with a flip up panel that hides the information. What's your opinion?

Do You Keep Your Kids in Sight While at the Park?

LilSugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:00:13 -0800

My jaw dropped the other day when I heard one mother tell another that she lost track of the woman's son (a kindergartner) earlier in the day (while he was in her care) at the packed park. She found him after a few minutes, but then the two laughed about it as they ate lunch while their tots played clear across the park and out of sight.
Do you keep your eyes on your kids at all times in crowded places?

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Mommy Alert: Beware of Allowing Your Tots to Stray in Stores

LilSugar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:00:03 -0800

This latest clip is just too close for comfort. Similar to the story we told you about in May, another lil girl was molested in plain site at a big name bookstore. The first incident happened in the children's section of an Arcadia Borders and the most recent occurred at a Corte Madera Barnes & Noble, also in California.

This time, a five-year-old stepped just feet away from her mother who was at the counter paying for goods. But, the short distance and those split seconds provided a predator, who was silent during the attack, enough time to take the child's hand and put it inside his pants. Another incident happened at the same store this past Summer. While holiday shopping, you may be tempted to let your tots peruse the next toy aisle or stray a bit while you're in the checkout line, but in light of these reports, you should think twice about doing so.

Lil Tip: Capture Kid's Identifiers on Camera

LilSugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 10:00:19 -0700

It's better to be safe than sorry and since many families are headed to amusement parks and other crowded destinations with their tots this Summer, you may consider taking a few precautions. Yesterday, Greggie shared this great tip in response to how she keeps track of her kids. She said:

I take a picture of them before we enter so that if something were to happen, I could give that picture to the authorities as an exact description of what they were wearing.

Along those same lines, someone once told me that it takes a matter of minutes for a predator to change a child's appearance, so carrying pictures of your wee one's identifying characteristics whether it be a birthmark, a scar, or a unique eye color, could help in the event that he or she goes missing. While this is unsettling, it's best to be prepared.
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